Pours a slightly hazy copper. Brown sugar and piney hops in the aroma. The brown sugar comes out even more after a sip. Very sweet, but the aggressive, pungent hops cut through to tame it. Big and very tasty, if not complex. Great balance between the hops and sugar, each keeping the other from overpowering. And checking in at 9.9% ABV, you'd never guess it's close to that strong while drinking it.

Pours a very clear, dark, tannic oxidized rust color, very appealing. Smells not very hop forward, but malt, sweet, bread and grain and some caramel, but some noticeable alcohol and pine like hop notes. Tastes very sweet and malty and not at all bitter at first, the bitterness only emerging after a time (like their sumpin') and this tends to modulate the loudness of the bitterness overall. Nice late hop echo coming in later. Mouthfeel and carbonation is moderate fussy and just about right. Overall, another very good Lagunitas offering, although I don't like as much the loud malt notes in the beginning that really mute the effects of the hops...I want the hops right THEIR!

Bought sixer of this. You really can't beat Lagunitas on price. I really enjoyed the first one, but 3 bottles later I've pretty much lost my taste for this beer. It's the sugar, by the end of the bottle it's just a bit much. And sugar in food covers up a lot of things, in this situation it seems to be covering up the exact same hop profile Lagunitas uses in so many other beers.

I wouldn't discourage others from trying it. I just don't find it to be particularly artful and I've worn out on it.